See you at the pole?

Question

See you at the pole is Wednesday in US + Canada.
Do you agree / disagree / Don't care / Never heard of the practice of the students praying before school

Answer 1

I think its a good practice, but shouldn't just be done once a year, but everyday.

Answer 2

I said earlier tonight that way back in 1991, I got the first one at my high school to happen, and I really had to fight for it.

I'm Pagan now, which makes it kind of funny.

I still support the right of students to do SYATP--it's before school, non-instructional time, and students have First Amendment rights like anyone else.

Answer 3

Personally it seems like a public show more than anything sincere. When I was in high school not so long ago I had no problem praying before a test, at lunch, or whenever I wanted. I had no problem talking with friends and others about matters of religion, so long as they wanted to engage in the conversation. I was allowed to bring any sacred text I wanted and read it (including the Bible). I wore t-shirts with religious sayings on it, wore jewelry with religious symbols on it. Then at Rally At The Pole/See You At The Pole all of sudden before school starts on one day there is this big gathering of students to pray around the flag pole (well supposed to, although at our school the flag pole wasn't really accessible..attached to the building, so the school let us meet on the football field). Suddenly students who never brought their Bibles to school suddenly had them, students who never bothered to wear any religious symbolism suddenly wore it, and students who led the group suddenly were talking about how they weren't allowed to pray in school or talk to students about religion, and then the entire thing was followed up with some big very showy prayer led by some of the students who helped organize the entire event. That evening in my home town there was a big gathering by all the churches in which students could come and again pray, listen to some Christian bands, and receive literature on how to bring religion back into the school.

And anytime I bothered to point out to my youth pastor or the other pastors or even my fellow students that I was already doing these things and not getting into any trouble because the Supreme Court had already declared that I had a right to practice my religion I generally was told that I was wrong, that I must just be going under the radar (which is odd since I spent a lot of time with teachers talking to them about projects, homework, or staying after school to help with different things that the teachers were planning for the next day...and one of my teachers was the superintendent of the school and the other was the principal). I never had any trouble. None at all. And this was at a time when I was a Christian. After HS I even became a missionary!!! I'm not today, I have taken another path that still allows me to honor Jesus as Divine and yet has allowed me to go even deeper in my own spiritual walk with God. Maybe it's just because I live in Oklahoma that no one cared, but I have friends and family throughout the US and even they never had any trouble with issues of infringement upon their religious freedom. In college I still haven't had any troubles with the issue. The only time I even had an issue was once and that was with an employer. I settled the matter by sitting them down and discussing it with them and letting them know what my rights were and what their rights were and that we needed to come to some sort of workable agreement (which we did).

In the meantime, if students want to gather on Wednesday for prayer then I'm happy they are doing so and I agree that they should be allowed to do it. It's not a school sponsored event and it isn't happening when it would interfere with classes (not disrupting the learning process). I just hope that other students when they gather would gather to sincerely pray and worship God rather than being a spectacle and show. That when they gather they don't care how many gather, if they can be seen or not by other students, or if other students can hear them. That when they gather their mind is on God, their thoughts are on God. That they realize that when they leave that pole they can take their Bibles and read them in class when they don't have classwork or lectures (just like they can any other book), that they can bow their head and pray silently (or whisper quietly...I found that's okay usually, too in most classes because most classes can be sort of noisy) before a test, over their lunch, or even just pray while walking down the hall. That you can talk with any student about religion, but if the student does not want to talk you respect their religious freedom and talk about something else with them. I'd hope they know this and that the entire meeting at the pole doesn't become some politicized event, but instead is truly and sincerely about God and being there not to prove anything, but just to worship and pray to God.

To be honest sometimes I think the students are just pawns by adults who have a different agenda (just an observation made by those who helped sponsor the See You At The Pole at my high school). I could be wrong, it's just a simple observation. Students still have the power to make the event special on its own.

But all of this is my own humble opinion.

I hope that you enjoy your schools See You At The Pole. May you make God smile when you enter into His presence through prayer and worship and may you remember God throughout your day and see God in every face and treat all people with the same respect.

God's peace and love be with you.

Answer 4

I went to a couple meetings, they were Mon, Wed, and Friday at FHS. I wasn't really thrilled to hear someone else voicing a prayer for everyone when we all had different thoughts, but it was okay. Just not for me.

Answer 5

West Coast Canad here!

What pole??

TOTEM POLE?????????????????

No voting going on here.

MANY Students PRAY before food, school, bed, many things.

Answer 6

Well, that's their right. If they want to pray, who's gonna stop them?

Answer 7

I agree with the idea.

Answer 8

I've got your....oh never mind.